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3. Dealer Selection

Cadillac wants its “Standard of the World” slogan back. Toward that end, the brand is mounting sort of a “wreath-and-quest” global crusade to convert the heathen masses currently worshipping roundels, three-pointed stars, linked-rings, and the like. Its arsenal of enticements includes a small car (the Swedish-built BLS), diesel engines (including a new state-of-the-art 2.7L V-6), and even a sleek and slinky CTS Sport Wagon due next year. But it needs a big-dog halo car-something to run with the Ms, AMGs, and RSs, capable of laying down big bragging-rights numbers at the Nrburgring. This CTS-V aims to be that car.

The easy part of the project was the engine. The supercharged small-block V-8 was co-developed and cost-shared with Chevrolet, which uses it to power its halo-wearing Corvette ZR1 Nurburgringer. The roomy engine compartment of a sedan allowed plenty of pricey pieces to come off the exotic ZR1 engine, like the dry-sump oiling system and the saddle-mount twin intercooler bricks that allowed the LS9 to limbo in under the Vette’s low hoodline. The LSA’s normal oil pan and single intercooler on top of the blower fit fine in the CTS, requiring just a modest power bulge in the aluminum hood to provide pedestrian-impact clearance-and perhaps a bit of visual intimidation. The same quiet, efficient, four-lobe blower design is used, though it’s a bit smaller and makes less boost (8.7 psi versus 10.5). Using LS2-like valvetrain restricts the Caddy’s redline to 6200 rpm, while the ZR1’s low-mass bits tolerate 6600 revs. Befitting the sedan’s statelier nature, the Corvette’s loud-mode exhaust is ditched in favor of a quieter system with four catalysts and a modest resonator (it’s quiet, but for resonant drone at 1500 rpm). The sound is dominated by pleasing V-8 induction noise embellished with a bit of supercharger whine. (You almost never hear the ZR1’s supercharger over its bellowing exhaust.)

These various tweaks result in SAE-certified output figures of 556 hp at 6100 rpm and 551 lb-ft at 3800 rpm; that’s down 82 horses and 53 lb-ft from the ZR1’s power peak, but, more important, it trumps rivals like the M5 (by 56 hp and 168 lb-ft) and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG (by 49/86). In Europe, the Audi RS6 has Cadillac outhorsed with 571, but that naturally aspirated spinner falls short by 72 lb-ft of twist, and AWD bloats its weight-to-power ratio to equal that of the CTS-V-7.7 lb/hp. And only Cadillac offers a no-cost choice of six-speed transmissions: paddle-shifted planetary automatic or a proper three-pedal stick.

Both require deft footwork to launch-rev to between 1000 and 2000 rpm, release the brake or clutch, and feather the throttle down judiciously or risk smoking through all of first gear. (At least, the rear tires spin in unison and with no axle-hop, thanks to a cast-iron diff with robust limited-slip gearing and asymmetric halfshaft diameters). From second gear up, leave your right foot planted in either, letting the automatic shift itself and utilizing the no-lift shift programming in the manual. Both cars cross the 60-mph mark in 4.1 sec, but taller gearing in the manual’s first three gears blunts its quarter mile slightly (12.4 sec at 117.1 mph versus the automatic’s 12.3 at 117.5). Either transmission performs comfortably ahead of the M5 (4.5, 12.5@114.9) and E63 AMG (4.3, 12.7@113.0), but if you demand autobahn supremacy, opt for the manual. It tops out at a reported 193 mph in sixth, while the automatic is limited to 175 to protect the transmission.

“Big deal,” the string-back glove set is muttering about now. “Chrysler could jam a Viper V-10 in a 300C SRT/10 and blow them all away, but we wouldn’t be caught dead in it, either.” To convince these hardened cynics, the rest of the CTS-V has received just as much attention. In terms of chassis, this V model was baked in from the beginning of the CTS redesign, which helped drive the sure-footed wide-track stance. Second-generation Magnetic Ride Control shocks, like those on the ZR1, work magic in expanding the envelope of comfortable ride and sharp handling. Tour and Sport settings offer completely different control logic. Each has the bandwidth to go full-firm or full-soft in an instant, but Sport elevates the baseline damping control and lowers the thresholds of steering, braking, or road inputs that trigger a damping-rate change. Tour provides supple ride comfort with reasonable body-motion control on twisty, imperfect public roads, but when running hard on a smooth track or up a mountain pass, Sport curtails roll and pitch far more aggressively by instantaneously transitioning to high jounce-damping rates at the wheels on the outside of a turn and high rebound-damping on the inside, or full jounce front/rebound rear during braking.

As on Corvettes, the StabiliTrak stability-control system offers three settings: traction off, competition mode (allowing more slip before system intervention), and stability off. They’re independent of the suspension settings so that, for example, touring suspension and the competition mode can be combined for hard running over bumpier surfaces. Selecting Competition mode heavies up the steering effort slightly, but normal mode feels fine, so adding artificial effort seems a bit gimmicky.

Cadillac introduced the CTS-V with a lovely drive through the rolling New York countryside, during which both transmissions proved easy to drive smoothly and gently-no grabby clutch or jumpy throttle program. A new electric parking brake with auto-release serves a hill-holding function in manual cars, but mostly it allows the dead pedal to be relocated to approximately the plane of the accelerator, so the driver can brace into the seat better. Our test-drive cars all had the sumptuously bolstered optional Recaro seats, suede-look steering-wheel rim and shift levers, metal pedals, and black-stained Sapele wood trim, all of which brings these cars up to the level of interior sophistication of their Euro counterparts. The stock CTS seats with Alcantara inserts offer way less lateral support and comfort, and the faux carbon fiber trim looks a bit cheesy, so pop for the extras (you’ll still save $20K relative to the Europeans).

Our destination was Monticello Motor Club, a brand-new car-guy country club 90 miles from Manhattan with 4.1 miles of open, twisty, hilly racetrack to terrorize, including a long, high-speed straight with a kink in it. Cadillac’s latest felt right at home, its lift-reducing chin-splitter and deck spoiler keeping things comfy on the big straight, and its ZR1 kinship shining through in the corners. Both cars inspire confidence with high levels of grip from their Michelin tires (non-runflat PS2s here) and huge Brembo brakes. StabiliTrak’s competition mode allows just enough slip-angle for the CTS-V to show off its neutral handling demeanor in beautiful four-wheel drifts through the higher-speed constant-radius corners. And here again, the linear throttle response enables clean corner exits with no sudden tire-spinning power surges. Further evidence this is a grown-up, sophisticated, fully sorted sedan. At the risk of sounding old or lazy, the automatic is the smarter choice, owing to its better gearing, faster shifts, and equal or higher performance. Need further convincing? GM’s hot-shoe racer John Heinricy drove an automatic CTS-V to a blistering 7-min/59.32-sec time on the fabled Nurburgring Nordschleife without using the paddles, letting the Performance Algorithm Shift program do the shifting. That is, by the way, believed to be a record for a sedan.

Track records and dragstrip time slips may not sell Cadillacs to Europhiles, but it may get them in the door. And if dealers are wise enough not to stock any test-drive units with the chintzy dash trim and base seats, this sophisticated, well-rounded, fully developed super-sedan might just win some converts-and in so doing, earn the CTS-V its halo.

Nurburgring NotesJohn Heinricy’s engineering resume at General Motors includes stints as assistant chief engineer for the Corvette and as director of the GM Performance Division. His SCCA racing resume is equally impressive, having won the annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs in Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds, and a Chevrolet Cobalt. John reckons he’s been around the Nurburgring about 1000 times in real life, while logging a similar number on PlayStations. His fateful record-setting run in the CTS-V occurred during a one-hour session GM rented before the track opened during an industry-pool week. During that session in Germany, Heinricy reckons he had 12 to 15 laps getting comfortable with “The Green Hell,” including two or three laps to season the tires that would make the record run. That fateful run was the first of the day, starting out on cool tires. The car was a CTS-V automatic, set to the stock ride height, stock Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, equipped with the track-package brakes and the dealer-installed differential cooler (it will be standard on European-delivery CTS-Vs). Heinricy swears he let the transmission’s Performance Algorithm Shift program select the gears, and indeed watching in-car video of the run you can hear shifts occurring when his hands are nowhere near the paddles. He says the car left the ground about five times, but stayed firmly planted as the speedometer nudged 170 or so mph. Sounds like quite a ride. Wonder how long that unofficial record will stand. At the time he set his 7-min/59.32-sec run, GM also held the unofficial front-drive record with a Chevy Cobalt SS and the production supercar record with the ZR1, but Dodge scooted over and logged a hotter lap in a Viper ACR. Will the CTS-V’s German rivals try a similar game of one-upsmanship?

2009 Cadillac CTS-V News and Reviews

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